The Kane vs Shearer debate has been raging on for many years but who comes out on top?
@AlMacca93 looks at both strikers and gives his thoughts on the greatest English forward debate...
More often than not, Alan Shearer and Thierry Henry are the two names that crop up when discussing the greatest strikers in Premier League history.
But is Harry Kane destined to rival those two goal-scoring geniuses in the coming years? Still just 28 years old, the England captain could have another decade in the sport.
The Shearer vs Kane debate was a non-starter until a year or so ago but there is now plenty of support for the Tottenham striker – and that support is growing by the goal.
Goals aren’t everything of course but you could even argue that Kane is a better footballer than Shearer, linking up play and offering a more rounded skill set.
Two Premier League legends, two England greats. However, only one can come out on top in this debate.
Strap yourselves in sports betting fans, it’s time for our take on Shearer vs Kane. And it’s sure to be a controversial view, no matter which side of the argument we end up on…
Why Harry Kane?
Already a fully-fledged member of the Premier League 100 Club and the fifth highest goal scorer in top flight history, Kane is one goal away from matching Sergio Aguero and a further three goals off Andy Cole’s tally.
For what it’s worth, he has already surpassed Henry’s total of 175 goals. He will break the England national team goal-scoring record sooner rather than later as well.
Arguably the most prolific centre forward in the division, Kane has scored at least 17 goals in each of the previous eight Premier League seasons.
For what it’s worth, Shearer never managed more than four seasons in a row with 17 or more goals. And it’s important to remember, two of those seasons were 42-game seasons.
Kane has so much more to his game than just goals, earning a reputation as one of the best in the Premier League at linking play.
His on-field relationship with Son Heung-Min is clear for all to see and Kane has shown he is happy enough to assist as well as score.
Kane’s impact and influence has been crucial to Tottenham’s success over the past couple of seasons, assisting 23 goals while notching 40 of his own.
Injuries have impacted his career on more than one occasion but the England captain has always managed to get back to his brilliant best.
Should the Tottenham striker average 20 goals a season over the next three campaigns, he will find himself on the verge of breaking Shearer’s record at just 32 years old.
Given his consistency over the years, it is easy to assume that Kane will continue to score at his current rate and we could have a non-debate in his favour in the not-so-distant future.
The haters will point to Kane’s goal-scoring record for England and say 15 of his 50 goals for the national side have come from the penalty spot.
While that is of course accurate, Kane’s tally of 35 non-penalty goals for England is still more than Shearer’s tally of 30 Three Lions goals.
It is important to remember that six of Shearer’s goals for the national team were penalties, leaving him on 24 England goals from open play.
He has his critics but Kane is a joy to watch when he’s on top form. He is the perfect centre forward in so many ways and his goal-scoring record speaks for itself.
Why Alan Shearer?
A Premier League legend, Shearer sets the benchmark for aspiring strikers – notching 260 top flight goals throughout a sensational professional career.
Leading Blackburn Rovers to the Premier League trophy was a career highlight for Shearer but he is perhaps best known for his goal-scoring exploits at Newcastle United.
A boyhood Magpies fan, it was a dream come true for Shearer when Newcastle moved to sign the forward for a world record £15 million in 1996.
Shearer instantly endeared himself to the St James’ Park faithful and he would go on to become one of the greatest players in the club’s illustrious history.
Having joined the Premier League Golden Boot winners list on three occasions, Shearer is a worthy contender to go down as the greatest striker in the modern era.
In addition, he has a league winner’s medal to his name – something that Kane may struggle to replicate – and a Player of the Season award for 1994/95.
Shearer was playing in a sensational Blackburn team but he was the key cog for Rovers at the time, notching an incredible 112 goals in 138 Premier League games in four seasons.
This was in the early 1990s, long before the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were dominant forces in European football. In his own right, Shearer was the force of his era.
Shearer’s reputation as one of the sport’s leading forwards preceded him. Those looking at football betting odds knew in advance that he would be a very short price to score.
And most of the time, he did. Shearer’s record of 260 goals in 441 Premier League matches puts him right up there with the greatest to grace England’s top flight.
While others – namely Sergio Aguero, Thierry Henry and even Kane – have better goals per game ratios, Shearer’s longevity at the highest level is unrivalled.
Able to influence Premier League predictions on a weekly basis, Shearer defied the odds to record his seventh 20-goal season at 33 years old.
Was Shearer’s game limited? An exceptional goal scorer yes, but was he able to transform how a team played? Possibly not.
Limited scope shouldn’t define Shearer’s career – after all, he scored 260 Premier League goals. In this debate, however, his lack of influence outside the box cannot be ignored.
Kane vs Shearer – Who Wins?
On reputation alone, Shearer wins this debate every day of the week and twice on a Sunday but I’m not siding with reputation and history here.
Kane is going to break the record for most England goals and will surpass Shearer’s Premier League goals record as well.
Add to that his ability to link up with play and create opportunities for his teammates, Kane has to be the choice. I’m sure we’ll all be saying the same in four years time…
